Desperately Seeking Movie Treasure
Entertainment trade websites have been trumpeting the fact that this month’s movie summer box office is superior to last year’s. And I’m certainly not one to throw stones at such financial success, even though I suspect it’s making more money for corporations than for individual artists. As far as I can tell, however, the ka-ching doesn’t have much to do with the superiority of the “product.” To wit: I stood at a Manhattan multiplex the other night, scanning the board of the 15 movies on offer, trying desperately to find one that could help me kill a couple of hours before a meeting. And I couldn’t bring myself to plunk down twelve dollars for a single one. “Indiana Jones”? Even my 10-year-old nephew was disappointed. “Sex and the City“? Saw it at the premiere, and it was so endless there’s no chance I would go back. “Love Guru”? Mike Myers career has officially curdled. “Get Smart”? In spite of some good reviews, I can’t watch Steve Carell that long. (And I love “The Office.”) The only new release that caught my attention is “Wanted,” starring five-kids-with-ten-nannies Angelina Jolie. Unfortunately, the movie wasn’t playing at this theater. The coming weeks aren’t much more promising: “Wall-E,” looks fun for kids, but for adults? “Hancock”? To say that Will Smith is full-of-himself is an epic understatement. Ah, well: if the clothing stores around Manhattan are any indication (summer sales are in full swing, just in time to clear the outlets for fall merchandise as the mercury soars), then autumn — with the hope of better movies — is around the corner.
